Gas-producer.



PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

. 0. WHITFIELD. GAS ,PRODUGBR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 25. 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

CHARLES WHITFIELD, OF KETTERING, ENGLAND.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,474, dated April 4,1905.

. Application filed May 25, 1903. Serial No. 158,678.

To all w/wmit may concern:

Be it known that LCHARLEs WHITFIELD, 'engineer, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Kettering, in the county of N orthampton,England, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for ManufacturingProducer and WVater Gas, (for which I have obtained provisionalprotection in Great Britain, No. 3,101, bearing date February 10, 1903,)of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the construction of an apparatusformanufacturing producer and water gas and one which will effectually dealwith a great range of fuels (practically all kinds) from anthracite coalor metallurgical coke to bagasse and without inconvenient deposits oftar. To attain this end, use is made of an ordinary producer-body towhich is applied two circulating-pipes, pne for drawing off the lighterhydrocarbon vapors and the other for drawing off the heavier or lessvolatile vapors, and said pipes reintroducing the said vapors into theproducer at points where they require to pass through incandescentportions of the fuel, and thus become converted into a fixed gas beforereaching the final gas-outlet. Heretofore one circulatingpipe only hasbeen used; but in practice it is found that to insure the conversion ofall the hydrocarbon vapors into a fixed combustible gas two pipes areabsolutely necessary.

Upon the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical sectionof a generator or producer arranged in accordance with my improvementsand shown fitted over a watersealed ash-pit, while Fig. 2 represents asectional plan of the producer on line 0 Fig. 3 represents an exteriorplan.

A is the body of the producer, fitted upon any suitable foundation andpreferably over a water-sealed ash-pit, as shown.

B is the fire-grate, which may be of any convenient form, but ispreferably of inverted-V or ridge formation, as shown. Into the spacebelow the grate is delivered the air for combustion through pipe (J,and, if desired, a supply of steam through pipe D for keeping thegrate-bars cool.

E is the charging-hopper, and F the final gas-outlet.

I bustion.

G is the circulating-pipe heretofore used, and H is the extra pipe,forming the chief feature of this invention. The pipe H at its upper endlies between the upper end of the pipe G and the final gas-outlet F. Thepipe G at its lower end opens into the producer at a point slightlyabove the Zone of combustion, and the pipe H at its lower end opens intothe producer at a point opposite the zone of com- Both pipes are fittedwith a jet I supplied with steam under pressure.

To insure the obtaining of uniform results, the producer should be keptcharged with fuel to a fairly constant level.

When ordinary bituminous coal is used, the lower portions thereof in theproducer are raised in temperature to incandescence by ordinarycombustion, assisted by a supply of air through pipe C under pressurefrom below the grate. When so raised in temperature, the fuel then givesoff the hydrocarbon vapors, the more volatile portions of which rise tothe top of the producer and are drawn off through the pipe G andinjected, by means of its jet I, into the incandescent portions of thefuel. The less volatile portions of the hydrocarbon vapors which rise tothe upper part of the producer, but fail to reach the outlet leading tothe pipe G, are drawn off through the pipe H and injected, by means ofits jet I, into the hot portions of fuel on the opposite side of theproducer. These latter products in the absence of the pipe H are largelycarried off at the final outlet F without having been properlydecomposed.

By the use of the two pipes the apparatus produces a more rapidcirculation of the gases than heretofore, and the final outlet ismaintained at a more equable temperature. The pipes and other portionsof the apparatus are also greatly freed from tar accumulations due tocondensed vapors in transit, since a greater proportion of thetar-vapors are decomposed by the intervention of the pipe F.

The action of the improved apparatus is as follows: The fixed carbon ofthe fuel is turned on the fire-grate to C02. The tar-vapors, both lightand heavy, and some steam are injected into the incandescent fuel aboveor about the zone of combustion, where they are decomposed. The hydrogenpasses off free, and the carbon combines with the dissociated oxygen,forming CO. Hence the whole or nearly the whole of the volatile portionsof the fuel goes to the formation of a pure combustible gas, and only aportion of the carbon is burned by air. Consequently the amount ofdiluent nitrogen is reduced to a minimum.

With some forms of fuel it may be advisable in order to keep up thetemperature of the apparatus to allow the less volatile portions of thegas which are drawn off by the pipe F to pass into the combustion zoneof the furnace, and thus help in promoting the combustion and inmaintaining the temperature necessary for fixing the lighter vapors.When what are known as caking coals are used, a supply of chalk,limestone, or the like is added, which tends to keep the fuel free andopen withoutdeteriorating the value of the gasproducer. The residualclinker in such cases when ground provides a useful mortar or cement.

The pipe Gmay have a branch G at the top for the purpose of periodicalblowing through, the outlet of such branch being fitted with a valve(not shown) for closing the branch when the producer is at work. 7

The lower end of each pipe G H is open and dips into the water seal ofthe ash-pit, so that any tar deposit carried over by the vapors fallinto the ash-pit. This latter is formed in the earth and lined withconcrete. The producer and grate are supported over it by suitable ironsupports, and when at work the water seal serves to prevent the gasescaping, while it allows the clinkers, &c., to fall into the ashpit,from whence it may be removed without stoppingthe producer. Ash-pits ofthis kind are well known and form no part of my present invention.

What I claim is 1. The combination in a producer of the characterindicated of a vapor-circulating pipe and an injector therefor worked bysteam for drawing off the lighter hydrocarbon vapors from the upper partof the producer and introducing the same into the incandescent fuelabove the zone of combustion, and another vapor-circulating pipe and aninjector therefor worked by steam for drawing off the less volatile orheavier hydrocarbon vapors and reintroducing the same into theincandescent portion of the fuel at the zone of combustion,substantially as herein set forth.

2. In combination, a producer with fuelfeed hopper and final gas-outlet,an inverted- V-shaped grate therefor, air and steam supply pipes fordelivering air and steam below the said grate, an ash-pit over. whichthe producer is placed and which is filled with water into which thelower part of the producer dips, a circulating-pipe opening into theproducer at a point at the top of the generatingchamber and at a pointslightly above the grate, and afurther pipe opening into the producer ata point between the upper end of the other pipe and the final gas-outletand at a point directly opposite the grate, both of the saidcirculating-pipes being open at their,

